Latino group to Hickenlooper: Fix driver's program or lose our vote

Leaders of a Latino advocacy group upset with Colorado's new driver's license program for those in the country illegally said at a Wednesday protest that if more resources aren't directed toward the program, they would urge their community to drop support for the governor in November's elections.

The advocates gathered outside the offices of the state Democratic Party chanting and holding signs before they prepared to deliver a letter addressed to Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat.

When members of the group — made up of members of Driver's Licenses for All, which pushed for the licensing legislation — tried to enter the party's offices about 10 a.m., they found the door locked as employees walked by inside. They slipped the letter underneath the door.

While the number of protesters Wednesday was under a dozen, the new licensing program has been the talk of immigrants statewide. Driver's Licenses for All says it gathered some 30,000 signatures for a ballot initiative seeking the licensing before the legislature passed the law in 2013. Since the law's passing, the group has facilitated meetings with hundreds of immigrants to help explain the new program, serving as a liaison to government leaders.

Ramírez said the group asked the Democrats for help when it initially sought the program, and now members "want what we were promised."

Rick Palacio, chairman of the state Democratic Party, said his office received no prior notice of the demonstration. Palacio said the office often locks its doors for security.

"Had someone given us a heads-up, we would have been happy to talk with them as we have in the past," Palacio said. "The invitation is open if they want to come in and talk about what we can do to be helpful."

Palacio said the group has legitimate concerns about the new licensing program, adding that it lacks resources.

The party sent out a news release shortly after the protest inviting reporters to a Thursday event where Latino leaders will denounce Hickenlooper's opponent, Bob Beauprez. The release pointed to recent comments Beauprez, a Republican, made in a radio interview in which he said he would send Colorado National Guard troops to the border.

Also in that KNUS-710 interview last week, Beauprez said he would stop "sanctuary policies" for those in the country illegally.

Host Peter Boyles asked if he would do so, adding, "And I want to put in there illegals getting driver's licenses."

Beauprez answered, "Yeah, what you've got to do is enforce the rule of law."

On Wednesday, Beauprez campaign spokesman Allen Fuller told The Denver Post, "(The licensing program) is the law of the state of Colorado. And, as governor, Bob will uphold the laws of the state, not pick and choose the ones he likes."

Fuller added that Beauprez doesn't think the licensing program is "the solution, but is a symptom of a broken immigration system that forces people to live in the shadows."

Protesters held signs reading "Shame on you Democratic party" and "Stop discrimination" on the corner of Sherman Street and Eighth Avenue as motorists drove by heading to work.

"The Department of Revenue is implementing this program within the guidelines of the law — which requires self-funding — as this is a matter of public safety for all of Colorado," the governor's office said in a statement. "The Department continues to hold public meetings and open workshops in an ongoing effort to address questions such as those raised in the letter, and they will continue to monitor the program."

Colorado has an estimated population of 150,000 immigrants living here illegally who could be seeking licenses under the new law.

A July 14 Quinnipiac University poll found that 13 percent of all registered voters in Colorado were Latino. In the 2010 midterm elections, exit polls showed that 12 percent of all votes in Colorado were cast by Latinos.

The July poll also found that Hickenlooper had 58 percent of the Latino vote while Beauprez had 31 percent, said Doug Schwartz, director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. Schwartz said that the Latino vote could tilt an election in a "very close race."

"It's important for Hickenlooper in terms of keeping him close," Schwartz said. "If he lost the Hispanic vote, that could really spell danger for him."

In the letter to the governor, the group recommended that all of the state's licensing centers open to distribute the new licenses.

"Remember, the elections are just around the corner," the group said at the letter's end.

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